


Rejuvenating & Self-Accepting Book Club

by cishamollins



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crack, Dysfunctional Relationships, Emotional Manipulation, Homophobia, Jealousy, M/M, Mentioned Jung Soojung | Krystal, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Jung Soojung | Krystal/Kim Jongin | Kai, Rich Jennie Kim, Sexual Frustration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:02:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22277551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cishamollins/pseuds/cishamollins
Summary: When Jongin is convinced to attend a book club to get into his girlfriend's pants, he never expects to fall for the most annoying club member there.
Relationships: Jennie Kim/Kim Jongin | Kai, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 29
Kudos: 53





	1. The One With The Book Club Introductions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hoshiphobic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoshiphobic/gifts).



> hello! uh, it's been a long time since i wrote something and published so pLEASE bear with me. also, i will add tags as they appear in the story. please leave any criticism/compliments or whatever in the comments, it keeps me motivated. thanks and enjoy! (:

After a slight rapping of Jongin's knuckles on the wood, the door opened, revealing a very upset and pissed off Jennie Kim.   
  
"Jongin! Where have you been? You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago!" She walked out of the house and closed the door behind her to ensure privacy.  
  
"Jen, I know. I'm sorry. I had to help Chrystal move the rest of her stuff," Jongin responded, watching the scrunch of Jennie's nose at the mention of his ex.  
  
She ignored it and instead grabbed Jongin's arm. "I have a surprise for you," she said, smirking. Jongin could only hope.  
  
As the front door opened and Jennie dragged her boyfriend of a month in, Jongin was anticipating for the moment Jennie took her pants off. In his last relationship with Chrystal, he was getting laid left and right, but Jennie wanted to "wait until the time was right." The farthest they got was groping and bra-unhooking through the tee. It was nice, but he still has a terrible case of blue balls.  
  
Jennie led Jongin upstairs, yelling out a "We'll be in my room!" to her parents. When they arrived to Jennie's room, she shut the door and smiled.   
  
"Now," Jennie grinned, walking over to her boyfriend, "close your eyes."   
  
Jongin had a constant mantra of _pleasetakeyourpantsoff_ in his head as he closed his eyes and placed his hands in his lap. Jongin heard the opening and shutting of a drawer and felt Jennie's hand grab his as she slipped something in his fingers.  
  
"Okay, open." She commanded and Jongin did to be faced with a flyer to Seoul's _Rejuvenating & Self-Accepting Book Club_ being held at a local community center.  
  
Jongin bit back a grimace. "Babe, they only use those clubs for kids who like, skip school or old people."  
  
"That's not all they're used for! My dad went to one for rifling," Jennie recalled. Jongin suddenly remembered the time in junior high where his parents sent him to a _"rejuvenating and self-accepting"_ bingo meeting.   
  
"My point exactly," Jongin responded, reaching into his pocket to pull his phone out. Jennie stopped him.  
  
"Just listen to me! Remember when we first met and we bonded over the fact that we both love reading? I told you about _Pride and Prejudice_ and you told me about _Lord of the Flies_!" Jongin had only said that to up his chances with getting with her. Plus, he only knew bits and pieces of _Lord of the Flies_ from his senior year. "They're holding openings for new members and I thought that this would be an amazing thing to do together! Because now that Chrystal's officially gone and out of the city, we can spend more time together. I mean, it's only fair we do because we never get to spend any time together and it's gonna tear us apart when--"  
  
Jongin forgot how much Jennie loved to talk. As she waved her arms around in explanation, Jongin could only focus on the bounce of her breasts. They weren't big but they weren't tiny either. He remembered the way they felt in his palm and they way they were more pronounced under her thin tank top. Jongin just wanted to feel--  
  
"Jongin!" Jennie waved her hand in her boyfriend's face. "You aren't even listening to me!"  
  
Jongin knew how to play the sympathy card. "Baby, I'm sorry. It's just been so hard on me lately with Chrystal forcing me to do her moving for her when we aren't even together. It's so hard having to be nice to her when she treats me like I'm nothing."  
  
Jennie's bottom lip jutted out and Jongin knew he had won. "Nini, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much she hurt you," she sat down next to her boyfriend, cuddling up into him.   
  
He put on his facade of heartbreak and it ended up with Jongin straddling her as they made out. Jongin groped Jennie's chest but as his hands started to trail down, she stopped him. "Jongin," she warned softly. They continued making out but when Jongin tried again, Jennie said, "Okay, we're done." She shoved him off and stood up.  
  
"What? Why?" Jongin stated obliviously.  
  
Jennie frowned, crossing her arms. "I've told you, I'm not ready to go further and yet you still try."  
  
"Jennie, I'm a man and I have needs," Jongin responded and she scoffed.  
  
"How do I know you're not just using me just to have sex? How do I know you're not going to leave after we do it?" She asked and Jongin felt his chest tightened. She was onto him. It was time to use his charm.  
  
"Baby.." Jongin trailed off, standing up and walking over to her. He gently ran his fingers down her arms. "I am absolutely crazy about you."  
  
"How do I know you're not lying?" Jongin was slightly irritated she wouldn't fall for it easily.  
  
Jongin really didn't have anything he could use to prove it to her. His eyes trailed to the stupid highlighter yellow flyer on the desk when he realized at this point, he'd do anything.  
  
"I'll do the book club thingie with you."

...

When Jongin agreed to joining the book club, he didn't expect the induction to be that night. He wasn't prepared at all to be faced with a bunch of four-eyed freaks who enjoyed fantasizing with fictional characters instead of living ones. Plus, he was planning on letting one loose to that one Jessica Alba movie on late-night HBO.  
  
"Jennie, does it really have to be tonight? Don't they have inductions later on in the year?" Jongin sighed as Jennie was raiding his closet.  
  
"Those inductions are for next year. Now, put this on." She tossed an ugly striped-button-down at her nuisance of a boyfriend.  
  
Jongin scrunched his nose at the shirt but put it on anyway. He couldn't afford to get on Jennie's bad side. Jennie now rummaged through his dresser. "God, don't you wear anything nice?"  
  
"Hey, my clothes are comfortable. Just because you're Miss Rich with a four-story mansion and twelve different closets doesn't mean you can insult my fashion sense." Jennie rolled her eyes at Jongin's exaggeration. Jongin knew she didn't own twelve wardrobes or live in a four-story mansion but he did know she was way higher on the _richer_ scale than he was.   
  
Jongin took Jennie's fashion advice with little defense and wore whatever she picked out. She also forced him to gel his hair up and "look professional" for a community-based book club. Jongin was disgusted. "Jen, it's literally going to be a bunch of teenagers and old people. You're acting like we're going to meet the President," Jongin stated as Jennie placed her gel-covered hands all in his hair.  
  
"Maybe one day, our love for reading will get us there," Jennie suggested, a hopeful smile on her face.  
  
_Gross,_ Jongin thought, she's lucky she's got a nice a body.  
  
Eventually, Jongin was able to convince to Jennie to stop by telling her if she did anything else, they would be late. Over-dressed and uncomfortable, Jongin followed Jennie to the community center. They arrived at a quarter until seven, so they had some time to kill. Jongin was hoping maybe he could get a little tongue action in, but Jennie was deadset on showing up early. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Jongin had to be quick to catch up to her. "Why are you in a rush? It doesn't start for fifteen minutes!" Jongin called to her as he quickened his pace.  
  
"To make a good impression, you need to be early," Jennie stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "We need to let them know we are serious about reading by being punctual."  
  
"It's a fuckin' _book club,_ Jen!" Jongin shouted. Right as the words left his mouth, the center's door were being propped open by their high school's vice principal who gave him a very stern look. Apparently, book clubs were her thing too.  
  
"Mr. Kim, I hope you aren't here to cause a disruption?" she warned but it was directed more as a question.  
  
Jongin opened his mouth to speak when Jennie butted in. "He's with me, Mrs. Park." Mrs. Park gave her a friendly grin.   
  
"Just make sure he stays on his best behavior." She gave Jongin a look before she walked back into the building.  
  
Jongin threw a piss-filled water balloon _one_ time and everyone acted like it was the end of the world.   
  
Jennie grabbed her boyfriend's hand and led him to the lobby. There was a table covered in flyers and a passed out teenager leaning back in the chair behind it. Jongin noticed his orange hair before anything.  
  
Jennie approached the table. "Excuse me."  
  
The boy said nothing--he didn't even open his eyes. He simply pointed at the stack of papers before putting his arm back behind his head. Jennie took the paper before giving a look of disgust to the boy at the table. "Rude," she muttered and Jongin saw the boy's lips curl up into a smirk. Jennie walked off in another direction, dragging Jongin with her. Jongin turned his head in the direction of the boy. If only they could swap places.  
  
When they arrived to the room, Jennie told Jongin the contents of the paper and sat in the seat closest to the door. Jongin sat next to her.  
  
Jongin wanted so badly to pull his phone out in the short span before the club started but Jennie was so keen on him looking professional. She kept exposing her hopes for this club and what she wanted to read. He placed his head in his hands, only for Jennie to swat at him to quit slouching.   
  
As the clock struck closer to seven, more people came into the classroom. Jongin realized that they _were_ mostly old people and delinquents, but overall, he paid them no attention. He stared at the floor, his pants, Jennie's chest, or whatever made the time go by faster. He did look up when someone approached Jennie.  
  
He was a couple centimeters shorter than Jongin and he was wearing an ugly white baseball cap. "Jennie, hey!" He greeted as if the two have been friends for years.  
  
Jongin was a little suspicious. Who was this dude and what business does he have talking to his girlfriend?  
  
"Oh, my gosh! Jongdae!" Jennie squealed, standing up to hug the boy, "It's been so long! How are you?"  
  
Before _Jongdae_ could answer, a man walked in. The Jongdae kid sat in the chair behind Jennie. "Hello, guys," the man greeted, grinning, "I'm Key, and I am the club organizer."  
  
All Jongin could think was: _who would choose to be head of a book club?_  
  
The club seemed to drag on. When Key insisted everyone stand and introduce themself, Jongin made a soft gagging noise. Jennie glared at him before grinning at the club organizer. When he asked for volunteers, Jennie was the first to raise her hand. "Okay, go ahead."  
  
Jennie stood and turned so everyone's eyes were on her. Jongin put his face in his hands out of embarrassment.  
  
"Hi, everyone! I'm Jennie and this is my boyfriend Jongin," she gestered to Jongin. Jongin kept his head down. "I'm a new resident of Seoul and just transferred from a private school in Busan. My favorite book is _Wuthering Heights_! I just love the theme and the plot is so--"  
  
Once again, Jongin blocked her out. He was thinking about this Jongdae dude. How does Jongdae know Jennie? Jongin turned his head around to the boy. He was staring up at Jennie and smiling. What right did he have to smile?  
  
Key suggested the introductions go in order, so Jongin was next. He stood hesitantly, giving a small wave to the rows of people behind him. "Hey, I'm uh, Jongin. I'm Jennie's boyfriend, and I don't really have a favorite book. They're all kinda cool, I guess," Jongin said lamely. Jennie sighed.  
  
Key smiled, seeming to sense Jongin's discomfort. "Thank you, Jongin. Alright, next."  
  
Jongin blocked the people after him out, but when Jongdae's turn rolled around, he placed his hand on Jennie's bare thigh possessively. He watched with a predatory gaze as Jongdae introduced himself.  
  
"Hi! I'm Jongdae. I am a senior at Seoul High, though I previously transferred from a private school in Daejeon about a week ago. My favorite book is, just like Jennie said, _Wuthering Heights_."  
  
Jongin rolled his eyes, hiding a chuckle. What is this dude, gay?  
  
"Thank you, Jongdae. Okay, who's next?"  
  
After introductions, Key spoke about his upcoming plans for the club and Jongin felt himself dozing off. Jennie was really expecting him to do this with her. He really just wanted her to take her pants off so he could bust one loose and make a run for it before she starts talking about marriage. Jongin was half asleep when he was awaken by applauding and singing. He opened his eyes to see Jongdae at the front of the room singing some sort of ballad. This boy was a menace. Jongin hated him. He was smart, he was confident, _and_ he could sing. What kind of voodoo shit were his parents doing when they had him?  
  
Eventually, the clock struck eight and Key dismissed everyone. He expressed his hopes of seeing them at the next meeting. Jongin led Jennie out to the main hall. "Who the hell is that Jongdae kid?"  
  
Jennie laughed, "Jongdae is just some boy my parents paid me to be friends with in like the fifth grade. His parents owned like a _huge_ portion of the company my dad worked for, and in order to please them, he insisted I become friends with him. Though, Jongdae didn't get the hint and thinks I give two shits about him." She shrugged her shoulders. "He's no harm really."  
  
"Why don't you just tell him to fuck off?"  
  
"I can't really do that. His parents are allies with my parents and if I told Jongdae to fuck off, he'd go crying to his daddy about _Jennie Kim this_ and _Jennie Kim that_. I'm not going to put my father's career in jeopardy over a stupid boy thinking that I like him."  
  
"He thinks you like him?! You should at least tell him you're not available. He was practically drooling over you!" Jongin was frustrated with the entire situation.  
  
Jennie laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. She placed her hands on her knees and gasped for oxygen through her obnoxious laughter. She laughed for about three minutes straight before she calmed down.  
  
Jongin scowled at her. "What's so funny?"  
  
"The dude's gay, Jongin!"  
  
"What?" Jongin really was confused. He didn't look gay or act gay. Yeah, maybe liking _Wuthering Heights_ was a little gay, but he just didn't _seem_ gay. "You're joking."  
  
"Ew, why would I joke about that? He likes dick! He probably sucks it too!" Jennie laughed, "But Nini, baby, let's go home! My mom's making stew and she want you to join us."  
  
Jongin thought about it on the way out the building. He thought about it the distance from the building to his car. He thought about it driving to Jennie's house. He didn't understand why he was so fixated on it. Jongdae was gay.


	2. The One With The Partners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for being patient and for the comments on the last chapter! i am really working my hardest to keep myself inspired and motivated so i don't give up on this fic! sorry if it isn't any good but here's another chapter! please leave some compliments/criticism for me! they keep me motivated <3 thanks and enjoy! (:

The fact that Jongin made such a conscious effort at being the spectacular boyfriend Jennie wanted, he got more action than he ever received before. She took him up to her room after dinner, and rewarded Jongin with a topless Jennie. He got to grope bare skin in all its glory. He was pleased. Jennie was pleased that Jongin went to the book club, even when he didn't want to go.

That led Jongin to believe if he did _anything_ Jennie wanted, he would get to have sex with Jennie. 

He would bring her a bouquet of freshly-picked roses. If they sat for too long, Jennie would not accept them. He would clean out his car because she hated the smell of the nachos tray that was stuck underneath his seat. He even bought some new clothes that were _Jennie-approved_ because she hated Jongin's fashion sense. 

But Jongin quickly realized that just giving her things she wanted wasn't doing the trick.

Exactly one week after the first book club meeting, Jennie shows up at his apartment. Jongin was still tucked in bed, pantless and asleep. Jennie, being the ever-loving girlfriend that she is, has a key to Jongin's apartment. She wasted no time in letting herself in and waking him up.

"Jongin."

Jongin hummed in his sleep, rolling over to face the opposite side. "Jongin, wake up!" Jennie raised her voice, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him.

Jongin opened his eyes slowly. "What time is it?"

"It's six in the afternoon, Jongin! You really need to fix your sleeping schedule," Jennie sassed as Jongin sat up and stretched.

"Seriously, what time did you go to bed?" Jennie asked him, crossing her arms.

Jongin yawned, "Noon."

"What the hell, Jongin?! You can't just sleep all day! We have to be at the community center by seven!" Jennie furrowed her eyebrows, waving her arms around in frustration.

"For what?" Jongin had the mental capacity of a prepubescent boy.

"For the book club meeting? You know, the one we went to inductions for last week," Jennie spoke with a tinge of sarcasm. Jongin really just wanted her to shut up sometimes.

"So you woke me up a goddamn _hour_ before we have to be there? What are you, nuts?" Jongin was irritated now. He had hardly any time to wake up, eat, shower, and get ready.

"Hey, don't blame me! You are an adult, Jongin! I shouldn't be relied on to be your alarm clock! I'm your girlfriend, not your mother."

Jongin reached into the floor for his discarded boxers and pulled them on under the covers. He chuckled out of anger, "You don't have any issue doing it any other fuckin' day of the week. You're always bossing me and nagging me and pushing me around to do shit! What else is new?" 

Jennie glared at Jongin in a way he had never seen before. It was actually a little scary. She didn't say anything. She walked out of the room and grabbed her coat off the rack. Jongin followed her out, trying to think of some response to calm her down.

"I'm driving myself there," she said matter-of-factly, taking her car keys out of her pocket.

"So what? I'm not going?"

Jennie laughed, "Oh, you're going. You will be there at seven. You will be dressed nice and professional, or we're _done_. Got that?" Jennie walked out of the apartment, leaving Jongin alone with the threat.

"Fuckin' hell," he muttered, running a hand over his face.

...

Jennie sat in the same seat. It was ten minutes until seven and Jongin was still nowhere to be seen. She sighed, straightening out her skirt. She checked her phone to see if Jongin had left her a message. He hadn't. She was staring at the door, waiting for Jongin when Jongdae came in.

"Hey, Jen," he greeted with a smile, "Where's your boyfriend?" He gestured to the empty seat next to her.

She faked a smile towards the older. "Oh, hey! He's on his way. Just running a little late, I suppose."

Jongdae laughed, "Understandable." He sat down next to Jennie. "How long have you two been together?"

Jennie didn't look at Jongdae. She looked back down at her phone, waiting. "A month and a half."

Jongdae frowned. He noticed Jennie's distant stare and decided it wasn't his business to pry. "Hey, we should hang out! I heard there's this cool barbeque place down the street we could--"

"Get out of my seat, _pipsqueak._ " Jongdae was interrupted by Jongin standing at the end of the row with a glare on his face. Jongdae got up from his seat without saying anything and moved to the seat behind Jennie.

"Oh, Jongin!" Jennie squealed, hopping out of her chair to hug Jongin, "you came!" She kissed him on the lips. "And you're dressed so nice! I knew you could do it without my help." Jongin smiled at her before

Jennie dragged him over to his seat. "Come on! The club's about to start!" Shortly after, the clock struck seven and Key came into the room.

"Hey, guys! I'm so happy to see most of you back! Now let's get started with our first official club meeting!" Key then talked a lot about novels and things he enjoyed about reading. Jongin felt his eyes drooping lower and lower before he heard Key said "Let's try a partner project."

There were a lot of murmurs, most from the kids who were forced to be here. "This isn't school."

"I know," Key agreed, "But it's not a learning exercise. It's more of a bonding. Think of it as a social benefit rather than an educational benefit."  
Jongin yawned. Jennie gleamed.

"Now, partners. Originally, I was going to allow you to choose. But I've decided in order for the project to be taken seriously and for it to reach its full potential, I've decided to pair you up randomly." Jongin sighed. So much for getting to work with Jennie. "I have made a list of partners by watching your body language, character traits, and all that jazz." Jongin rolled his eyes at Key's use of the word _"jazz"_. Key pulled out a sheet of paper. "The first pair I have are Jeonghan and Soogi--"

As Key was assigning parts, Jongin prayed to whatever god was listening that he and Jennie get assigned as partners. He made a false promise about how he won't try to grope her during church sessions anymore. 

Jongin wasn't assigned with Jennie. Jennie was assigned with Jongdae.

Jongin watched Jennie cringe as Jongdae thanked Key. He actually felt a little bad for her. Jongin got assigned Sehun. Sehun was the orange-haired boy that was working the front table for the last meeting. Key asked that everyone sit next to their partners. Jennie whispered to Jongin, "I really don't want to work with him." Jongin stood from his chair to make his way to the back row with Sehun. He stopped, thinking. If Jennie stayed partners with Jongdae, she'd be miserable. Therefore, less action for Jongin. Jongin looked towards Sehun's direction. If he worked with Sehun, he'd be comfortable. He'd expect action from Jennie. If Jennie stayed partners with Jongdae, he wasn't going to get action. He made a desicion. With all the courage he could muster, Jongin turned, gave Jennie a smile, and walked to Key.

"Excuse me, Key," Jongin greeted.

Key looked up from the binder on his desk. "What's up?" 

"Listen, I was trying to see if Jennie and I could possibly switch partners? Jennie and Jongdae have like a history of friendship and I know that your goal is to create friendships and relationships through this project. I know Jennie and Sehun have no history and Jongdae and I have no history. I just wanted to have your project work for everyone, including us," Jongin used his charm to convince Key like he does with everyone else.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I don't see why not. Jennie!" Key called, "you are partners with Sehun. Jongdae, you are now partnered with Jongin." 


	3. The One With The White Malibu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so, so, so sorry for taking so long to publish! i got sick after i published the last chapter. i've had a lot going on, and i thank you all for being so patient! please leave any compliments/criticism in the comments! i really love reading and replying to what you guys have to say! thank you and enjoy! <3 (:

Jongin giving up Sehun for Jongdae did work in his favor. Jennie was so overjoyed and called Jongin the " _bravest man she's ever been with_ ". He even got a handjob! Jongin felt on top of the world. And he was until he actually had to work with Jongdae.  
  
Key advised that partners meet up at least once a week outside of the club meetings. Jongin had to actually talk and breathe around the annoying _gay_ boy. He didn't know why Jongdae being gay bothered him so much. It wasn't a bad thing to be gay in Jongin's eyes; it was just really weird. Growing up, homosexuality was considered taboo. No one was really open about their sexuality, even now. Jongin had never met a gay person before.   
  
Not only was he gay but he was just plain annoying. Every little thing he did ticked Jongin off. Jongdae had the habit of chewing on his pencil eraser and it was disgusting! Jongin cringed every time. Sitting too close to him was another thing to add to the list.   
  
Jongin was sitting opposite of Jongdae at their local library. Jongdae was writing. Jongin was watching him. and Jongin had no idea what their project was supposed to be about. He really didn't want to be there.  
  
Jongdae hadn't said one word to him the whole time they had been at the library. It was a little concerning, considering Jongdae had a loud mouth. But they couldn't sit in silence forever, as much as Jongin would like to.  
  
"So, uh," Jongin started, clearing his throat, "Whatcha writing?"  
  
"A list." Jongdae kept his responses dry, making it clear he didn't want to talk to Jongin.  
  
"A list of what?" Jongin asked and Jongdae put his pencil down and looked up at Jongin.  
  
"First of all, why do you care?" he asked, crossing his arms, "You don't like me. And I know that because you called me a _pipsqueak_ , which let me tell you, doesn't mean what you think it means." Jongin just blinked at him.  
  
"Second of all," Jongdae started, "you were perfectly fine with your old partner but you made Jennie switch. Why is that?"  
  
"Can't a guy just do things without having a reason?" Jongin joked, a cocky grin on his face.   
  
Jongdae wasn't smiling.  
  
Jongin leaned back in his chair and propped his legs up on the table. "You're friends with my girlfriend, so why can't I be your friend?" Jongin wasn't gonna be honest and tell Jongdae that Jennie didn't like him because of his need to get laid. Plus, he didn't like him all that much either. Jongdae still wasn't saying anything.  
  
"Man, if this is about the gay thing--"  
  
"What gay thing? What are you talking about?" Jongdae's face dropped entirely. He looked at Jongin with his eyes glazed over and his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"You're...gay?" Jongin stated like a question.  
  
 _"Who told you that?"_ Jongdae whispered harshly, leaning closer to Jongin to ensure no one else heard him.  
  
Jongin was caught off guard.   
  
"No one," Jongin lied, "I just assumed."  
  
Jongdae sighed, avoiding Jongin's eyes. He picked his pencil back up and continued writing. They didn't talk much after that. Jongdae spent the most of the hour writing and in the last five minutes, he had Jongin pick a novel.  
  
"I listed a few of them that I thought would fit the theme of the project really well. Because you didn't write any, pick from these."  
  
Jongin took the paper from Jongdae and skimmed over it. A lot of the novels he had never heard of. Playing it safe, he decided to go for a title he was familiar of.  
  
" _Pride and Prejudice_ ," Jongin stated, handing the paper back to Jongdae.  
  
Jongdae put his face in his hands. "I really don't want to do that one. I mean, it's very obvious that it fits the project!"  
  
Jongin didn't even know what the project was. Maybe he should ask? "So uh," he started, "Can you like refresh me about the project?"  
  
Jongdae furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"  
  
"I mean," Jongin cleared his throat, "Can you remind me what the project is about?"  
  
Jongdae knew Jongin didn't even know from the beginning what the project was about, but Jongdae chose not to comment on it. Instead, he explained, "We were giving a literary theme from Key and we have to choose a novel with that same theme and compare it to our lives."  
  
 _That's gay,_ Jongin thought before voicing that very same thought.  
  
"I think it's fun, and I don't see you coming up with anything better," Jongdae spat, crossing his arms.  
  
Jongin ran his hand through his hair before he picked the paper back up again. "Fine. What's the theme?"  
  
Jongdae maintained eye contact as he said, "Prejudice."  
  
...  
  
When the hour was up, Jongin was quick to get to his feet and leave. Jongdae, being the book lover that he was, stayed a little longer to write down some more ideas for their project. As Jongin put his jacket on, Jongdae offered to take Jongin home. Jongin was dropped off by Jennie and Jongin doesn't have his own form of transportation in the first place, but Jongin declined, saying he'll just call Jennie. Jongin left Jongdae in the library to call Jennie.  
  
"Jongin!" Jennie hissed. She wasn't in a good mood.  
  
"What's wrong, Jen?" Jongin asked, lowering his tone as a form of faux sympathy.  
  
"I am _so_ disgusted! My partner had me show up to his house and it's literally a run-down _bug_ -infested apartment! Not to mention, it was a total mess! He's _disgusting_ and he's _poor_ and he laughed in my face when I told him to get to work! I hate him! I would much rather work with Jongdae! He may be gay, but at least he's not poor!" Jennie vented.  
  
Jongin had seen this plenty. Jennie had a bad temper and the littlest thing set her off. "Baby," he started, "take a couple deep breaths. Just go home and I'll meet you there. We can talk about it more then."  
  
Jennie didn't reply. She only hung up but Jongin knew Jennie was going to do just that.   
  
But now that Jennie wasn't coming to get him, he was stranded. He considered walking, but Jennie's house was on the other side of the city. If Jongin was lucky, he'd make it to Jennie's house in three days. He could take the bus or the train but the people who rode the bus or the train usually smelled like body odor and cow manure, so that was a no. He sighed, realizing what he had to do.  
  
Jongin entered the library and saw Jongdae packing up his things. "Hey."  
  
Jongdae looked up at him in surprise, not expecting to see him. "Hey.."  
  
"Could I still take that offer?" Jongin asked, hopeful.  
  
Jongdae smiled politely and nodded his head before he led Jongin out of the library. As Jongdae unlocked his car, Jongin realized just how different Jongdae was. It wasn't very obvious that Jongdae came from a rich family like it was for Jennie. Everything Jennie had was designer. She had a hundred different accessories and outfits, and she even had two cars! Jongdae, on the other hand, dressed like he lived in the twentieth century and drove a scratched-up and dented white Malibu. Jongin put a reminder in the back of his head to ask Jennie about it.  
  
Jongin climbed into the front seat and Jongdae started the car.  
  
"Where to?" Jongdae asked. Jongin turned to him.  
  
"Do you know where Jennie lives?" Jongin asked.  
  
Jongdae's face lit up at the mention of Jennie. "I do. Let's go."  
  
It wasn't until Jongdae pressed a station on his radio and started jamming out to Khalid that Jongin realized that maybe Jongdae wasn't so bad after all. 


	4. The One With The New Job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first, i want to apologize for taking so long to update. i haven't been feeling well both physically and emotionally. i won't give up on this story, but if it takes me a long while to update, i'm sorry. i'm also sorry if this chapter's shorter than the others. it was beta'd (and by beta'd, i mean it was read by a good friend of mine), but there is potential for a lot of mistakes, as always. but thank you so much for being patient and i hope you will continue being patient for more chapters to come. please leave any compliments or criticism in the comments, they keep me motivated. thank you and enjoy. (: <3

Jongdae was adjusting very well to his new residence in Seoul. Moving to a place he had only seen glimpses of through hotel windows or on brochures was exciting and frightening. He lived in a crammy apartment with his aunt. However, his aunt was terminally ill and wasn't estimated to live very long after Jongdae's graduation. Jongdae, avoiding using his father's money to get him what he wants in life, needed to get a job so he could afford the apartment. His aunt was the one who suggested the book club to him. She told him it was a perfect opportunity to make new friends and get familiar with the city. She even mentioned the couple of times she's attended over the years and how she met a good friend of hers from the club.  
  
However, Jongdae's aunt lived on her deceased husbands pension and disability checks month to month, so when it came to working, she was about twenty years behind. Jongdae checked Internet ads, window posters, and even went as far as searching in the newspaper with no luck.  
  
After two weeks of attending his first-ever public school, he made a friend. Baekhyun was different than Jongdae's previous school friends. He wasn't snobby and didn't use money to get his way. He was kind and loud and fun to be around. When the two sat down in the cafeteria of lunch, Jongdae informed Baekhyun he was searching for a job. Baekhyun was very eager to help. He told him there was an opening position at the clothing store he worked at and his boss was pretty desperate. Jongdae had zero experience, but he was more than willing to learn.  
  
The next day, Jongdae was hired. The boss was a Chinese man named Yixing and he was so desperate for employees and trusted Baekhyun's judgement that he had skipped the interview process entirely and, with reassurance from Baekhyun, Yixing had no choice but to hire him.   
  
When Jongdae's first day of work came, he was very nervous. Baekhyun assured him everything would be fine and it would be easy, but Jongdae had never had a real job before and felt pressured to do well. Yixing had assigned a man named Minseok as Jongdae's trainer and Baekhyun told him he was going to be in good hands. Minseok was very friendly and showed him the basics. He taught him how to unpack and preparing shipping, how to fold the clothes correctly, and showed him around the store. Baekhyun let Jongdae shadow him on the register as well. As days go by and Jongdae attending his job more and more, he found out that Baekhyun was right.   
Jongdae grew closer to Minseok than he did Baekhyun. Jongdae didn't dislike Baekhyun in the slightest, but he had more in common with Minseok and felt more comfortable with him. Jongdae learned more about Minseok as his shifts continued. He found out that Minseok was twenty-eight and was a single father. Jongdae told Minseok things too, like his father's career and his attendance in private schools.   
  
Minseok and Jongdae became so close, Minseok picked up on Jongdae's obvious frustration after his book club meetings.  
  
The two were stocking a clothing rack and moving them to a different section of the store. Minseok was scanning the price tags and Jongdae was labeling the new prices.   
  
"You seem tense," Minseok noticed as Jongdae's worry lines became more prominent from his constant frowning, "Is everything okay?"  
  
Jongdae sighed, placing a twenty thousand won sticker on a polka-dotted blouse. "Yeah, it's just..." he trailed off before saying, "So I'm in this community-based book club, right?"  
  
Minseok nodded in comfirmation as he handed Jongdae a red Sharpie. "Well, I'm partners with this egotistical idiotic _nuisance_ , and honestly, he's a dick."  
  
Minseok stopped scanning and looked at Jongdae with confusion on his face. "What kind of book club assigns you partners? Are you sure it's not a school-based club?"  
  
"No, it's community-based. Its members range from junior high students to retirement home grandparents."  
  
Minseok chuckled at that, continuing his scanning. "So besides this dude being a total dick, what's the issue?"  
  
Jongdae sighed, moving a stack of burgundy-laced shorts onto the clothing table behind him. "He doesn't do any work! We were given a theme and we have to pick a novel based on that theme and this _dickhole_ picked the most obvious title on the sheet! I mean, _Pride and Prejudice_ , come on now."  
  
"You're very hostile towards this guy," Minseok stated matter-of-factly as he handed Jongdae a stack of dress shirts, "These are forty thousand."  
  
Jongdae took the shirts and hung them in front of him and picked up the forty thousand won roll of stickers. "Yes, wouldn't you be?"  
  
"Look at it from his point of view, Dae. Maybe he's havin' a bad time?" Minseok suggested, "Or maybe he's being forced to attend? Wouldn't you be angry if you had to attend something you didn't want to do?"  
  
"That still doesn't give him the right," Jongdae mumbled, angrily placing stickers on the tags. "Plus, if he didn't want to be there then why did he give up being his girlfriend's partner to be partners with me?"  
  
"He switched partners? That sounds pretty homo, if you ask me," Minseok chuckled.  
  
Jongdae looked up at the older, furrowing his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Minseok grinned. "Maybe your book club partner has the hots for you."  
  
Jongdae scrunched his nose at Minseok before he tossed the roll of stickers at him. Minseok ducked, laughing. "Hey! It's plausible. He's like a little elementary school kid picking on the girl who sits next to him because she's cute or in this case, a book club partner gives his very oh-so-very feminine book club partner a hard time because he thinks he's cute."  
  
Jongdae glared at him but Minseok paid him no mind, continuing to scan price tags and organizing them in piles on the rack. "When do you meet up with your partner again?"  
  
Jongdae looked at his watch. "In like twenty minutes."  
  
"Well, when you do," Minseok stated, "Watch his reactions to the things you do. If he leans too close or if he flinches when you get too close, it means something. Men are weird like that."  
  
"How do you know so much about men? I mean, besides being a man, of course," Jongdae mentally punched himself in the face for such a stupid question.  
  
Minseok, being the sweetheart he is, spared him. "Jongdae, I may be a bread man, but that doesn't mean I don't attend a sausage party every now and then. A man can't survive without a little meat."  
  
Jongdae cringed. "Minseok! That's gross!" He swatted at the older and Minseok bellowed in laughter.   
  
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Let's finish up here, so you can go see your _boyfriend_."

Jongdae glared but didn't respond. He was dreading seeing Jongin again.


End file.
